Born in 1863 and entering naval service at fifteen, Scheer initially looked like a solid middle-class cadet rather than an obvious future fleet commander. His reports generally rated him satisfactory, although he reached the second-highest grade in his class. Practical training covered gunnery, torpedoes, and infantry while Germany's navy stood on the cusp of rapid expansion. Service in Niobe, Hertha, Friedrich Carl, and other frigates or corvettes gave him useful seagoing experience before patronage accelerated his career.
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Scheer's ordinary start concealed practical strengths
Scheer's early reports were satisfactory rather than brilliant, but practical service and specialist training prepared him for an expanding Imperial German Navy.